The Pearl Theme
Greed can bring out the worst in people, making them do despicable things. The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a perfect example of this. This ‘calm before the storm‘ story portrays how greed drives people in a phenomenal way. It follows a small, poor family that consists of Kino and Juana, on a long rampageous path to heal their child, Coyotito, after he was tragically bitten by a scorpion. Kino and Juana try many things but nothing seems to work, when the doctor would not try to heal their child. Kino stops at nothing to try and save his son, which after finding the “Pearl of the World” (Steinbeck 35) soon transforms into greed. The message of greed is woven in the novella and is a reoccuring theme in The Pearl. From the priest
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As soon as Kino gets what he wished for, he began to wish for more things instead of being thankful for what was given to him. “‘He spoke softly: "We will be married - in the church.’ … All of these things Kino saw in the lucent pearl, and he said: ‘We will have new clothes.’ … His lips moved hesitantly over this - ‘A rifle,’ he said. ‘Perhaps a rifle.’” (Steinbeck). After reading this, one may ask themselves why Kino does not immediately say he wishes for his son to be healed and healthy? Instead he is off wishing for, new clothes and a rifle. Later on in the novella, Kino begins to turn very violent, even hitting Juana because she was attempting to get rid of the pearl because of how much pain and evil it had brought upon their family. “He [Kino] struck her in the face with his clenched fist, and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side… He hissed at her like a snake, and Juana stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before the butcher.” (Steinbeck). After this outburst, Kino runs into an assailant when he his heading back to his hut. The assailant tried to ambush Kino, but Kino had his knife with him slit his throat which caused the assailant to die. “ Now, in an instant, Juana knew that the old life was gone forever. A dead man in the path and Kino's knife, dark-bladed …show more content…
She can see the evil within the pearl, and all the people like Kino, the priest and the doctor. She stays with Kino throughout their journey, even after he hits her, because kino is “ It meant that he was half insane and half god. It meant that Kino would drive his strength against a mountain and plunge his strength against the sea. Juana, in her woman's soul, knew that the mountain would stand while the man broke himself; that the sea would surge while the man drowned in it." (Steinbeck). she cannot imagine living without a man. Because of her position as a wife in a traditional society, Juana is necessarily subservient to Kino. She must follow what he views as his larger ambitions, even though her good sense cautions against it as their situation becomes increasingly desperate. Which is why she stays faithful to Kino and is with him every step of the way. Juana is the only who does no let the greed control her. She knew that what her and Kino were doing was dangerous, especially once they had gotten out of La Paz. Juana even refuses to leave him when they must hide from the trackers. Juana seems to be the only one who does no let the wealth captivate her. Like Kino, Juana is at first seduced by the greed the pearl awakens, but she is much quicker than Kino to recognize the pearl as a potential
Money can cause people to act selfish and arrogant, especially when they have so much money they do noteven know what to spend it on. In the novel,
The quote, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” by Enrich Fromm truly describes the effect greed can cause others. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald and the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare various themes are shown throughout. One of the most important themes is greed for wealth and power. These works focus on the impact greed for wealth and power causes on the main character and how it affects their relationships with others. At first, these characters are so infatuated by what they want that they do not realize the harm they are causing. However, as these works continue each character reaches a moment of epiphany realizing how
Throughout The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, the themes of greed and prejudice are greatly expressed, from the beginning with the unjust doctor to the suspenseful end of the supposed ‘Pearl of the World.’ It is amazing, that even in a timeless story as this one, these harsh realities still haunt their world. It could take place yesterday, today, or tomorrow, but the point is that one cannot revert the world to one way of thinking, that is why greed and prejudice still exist. One can try as hard as they want but there are going to be those who are stubborn, of hard will, and those who believe their thoughts are right. I want to show that these themes go far beyond this parable and apply to the world we live in.
When Juana wanted to destroy the pearl, Kino beat her unmercifully: He struck her in the face and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...He hissed at her like a snake and she stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before a butcher. (742) Juana saw through the outer beauty of the pearl and knew it would destroy them, but Kino's vision was blurred by the possible prosperity the pearl brought. The malignant evil then spread to a secret cult known only as the trackers. This corrupt band of ruffians attacked and destroyed Kino's life. The very night that the trackers learned of Kino's pearl, they tried to steal it. The next night, Kino was attacked twice, which resulted in Kino committing murder. After the final struggle of the night, Juana went back to their home to find more baneful members of the heartless cult rampaging through their belongings to find the pearl. The end result was Kino and Juana's house going up in flames. The trackers then committed the cardinal sin, they destroyed Kino's canoe: This was an evil beyond thinking.
“Greed is so destructive. It destroys everything” Eartha Kitt (BrainyQuote). F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby is about a man named Gatsby, who is trying to regain the love of a girl who he used to date to get back together with him. Gatsby’s only problem is that Daisy, the girl he is in love with is married to Tom. The story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, Daisy’s second cousin, once removed, and Gatsby’s friend. This allows the reader to know about Tom’s secret relationship with Myrtle Wilson and also allows the readers insight into Gatsby. According to Dictionary.com greed is “excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions”(Dictionary.com). Gatsby tries to get Daisy to fall in love with him, even though she is married to Tom. Gatsby throws elaborate parties that last all weekend in the hopes that Daisy will attend one. Greed is a major villain in The Great Gatsby through Gatsby’s chasing of Daisy, Myrtle’s cheating, and people using Gatsby simply for his wealth.
Kino, his family, and his town are a prime of example of how greed can take over. The Pearl, exquisitely written by John Steinbeck, is a written parable, setting examples for all it’s readers. They show greed at its ugliest, and how they can leave you with nothing. Leaving you with a sense of awareness, this book will make you think twice when given a
Juana wants to get rid of the pearl because she claims the pearl is evil. Kino disagrees and says that he will go sell the pearl the next day and there will be no more
Readers can tell from the statement that many of the people Kino encounters after finding the pearl become bitter “friends”. At this point, Kino and Juana begin to realize that the pearl is bringing bad luck upon them. They are taken advantage of by the doctor and he decides to visit them after knowing they have the pearl. “This pearl is like a sin”(56). Juana begins to realize the pearl is bringing them bad luck, but Kino still trusts that it’s a gift. Readers can also assume that people are trying to take the pearl when Kino is suddenly attacked during the night. “Blood oozed down from his scalp and there was a long…”(56). Readers can now confirm that the pearl has changed and now represents evil. The pearl also begins to destroy Kino and Juana’s relationship as they have different opinions on what to do with the pearl. After Kino wakes up and follows Juana when she wakes up and walks out, readers know he has started to lose full trust in her. “He rolled up to his feet and followed her silently as she had gone” (58). Through the symbolism of the pearl and what it brings upon Kino and Juana, the author emphasizes how the pearl is not what it first appears to be, which was
Greed has influenced human behavior for thousands of years. It is perfectly natural to covet objects or to pine for a promotion. Almost everyone wishes they were wealthier or owned a nicer house. Society has learned to accept these forms of greed because they are a common thread throughout civilization. But, on occasion, greed can transform and twist people into inhumane monsters. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas depicts this transformation taking place in the character of Danglars. The story begins with young, highly-ambitious Danglars as a ship’s accountant. He complains to the ship’s owner about Dantes, the first-mate, in an attempt to advance himself. Danglars also writes a letter that accuses Dantes of being a
Motivations cause humans to do many things, which aren’t always good. The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, is about a poverty-stricken native american man called Kino, who finds a magnificent pearl while desperately searching for one to save his son’s life. He becomes obsessed with the wealth and power the Pearl offers, and ends up losing everything he had due to the pearl, including his child. People share some key motivators with Kino and his wife, Juana that shape them to become the person the are destined to be.
If you were given a million dollars, what would you do? Spend it in a short amount of time? Or save it responsibly for the future? Many would say the latter, confident that they will accomplish that. But for a few, it doesn’t turn out that way. In the book, The Pearl, a family, Kino, Juana and their child, Coyotito, go through various hardships after they have found a pearl, eventually losing everything they had loved. With three examples from the novel, I will explain what the pearl in the book symbolizes.
The pearl in The Pearl by John Steinbeck shows traits of the characters in their worst moments, but the pearl mostly showed the trait “greed” in Kino because of how his life was before he almost got wealthy. The greed and coveting overtook his mind and personality and changed him who he was as a person. The author showed this throughout the book in many different ways. Steinbeck uses the symbol of the pearl to show the power of greed through Kino’s constant list of desires, his hunger for money, and his constant violence.
Kino becomes a human with evil animal-like features, “Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake,” (59). Steinbeck also illustrates Kino as an animal, “He was an animal now, for hiding, for attacking, and he lived only to preserve himself,” (62). One of the worst things that Kino had done whilst the Pearl was in his possession was beat his wife, Juana, “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side,” (59). Kino transforms into a cruel man with twisted intentions from this point until the end of the
In Matthew 26:16 it says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Truly, the question posed in this quote is one that applies to the main character, Kino, in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. Steinbeck composes a narrative, in which the characters are driven by unrelenting greed, resulting in disastrous consequences. Steinbeck is an exemplary author in the genre of tragic, fictional literature. Indeed, Steinbeck effectively utilizes elements of fiction including characterization, symbolism and conflict in order to convey the theme that misery is inevitable when a person’s insatiable greed precedes it. Steinbeck capably uses characterization to show the reader how the characters evolve as the story progresses, while demonstrating how their insatiable greed led to their downfall. Likewise, Steinbeck utilizes symbolism in the story to give seemingly mundane objects a more profound and substantial meaning, that foreshadow the outcome of the characters’ unquenchable greed. Furthermore, Steinbeck effectively uses different types of conflict, namely internal and external, to communicate to the reader the struggles that follow a greedy heart. Through the use of these elements of fiction, Steinbeck is able to show how greed affects these characters and the unavoidable misery that follows. By reading this essay, the reader will understand how Steinbeck uses various elements of fiction to demonstrate the devastating effects of a person’s greed in a world where the evil in people is often far greater than the goodness in people.
One example of this universal theme of humanity’s struggle with greed occurred in this novel when the doctor pretended to treat Coyotito for something that he did not have. It all started when a scorpion stung Coyotito. Kino and Juana’s only hope was the doctor, however, he refused to treat Coyotito because they were poor and they had nothing of value to pay for his services. Not long after this, Kino went to search for a good pearl in order to pay the doctor to treat his son. Kino found “the pearl of the world;” Juana and Kino were overjoyed. Once the doctor heard of this fine pearl, he rushed over to Kino’s hut to treat the sick baby by telling Kino a lie. The doctor’s excuse for not treating Coyotito sooner was, “ I was not in when you came this morning. But now at first chance, I have ...